NBA Exec Reportedly Says Celtics Will Get Paul George At Trade Deadline
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- No professional sports league has a ratio of trade rumors to actual trades that's anywhere near the NBA. Every single season, like clockwork, the floodgates open with hearsay and speculation about where all the available star players will be moving - only for fans to get pretty much nothing close to the promised fireworks.
NBA trade deadline talk may just be a deluge of baseless rumors about stuff that will never happen, but damn if it isn't fun to discuss. And the outrageous DeMarcus Cousins coup pulled by the New Orleans Pelicans will only serve to legitimize the deadline chatter that will continue to pollute the internet, radio, and TV between now and Thursday at 3 p.m.
So in any event, it's more than reasonable to cover what one NBA executive reportedly believes about the Celtics' plans for the trade deadline. ESPN's Marc Stein, one of the most plugged-in NBA writers on the planet, spoke on his colleague Zach Lowe's podcast about the rampant trade rumors surrounding the Celtics and other teams ahead of the NBA trade deadline. A fair chunk of the discussion revolved around Danny Ainge's potential moves.
Stein dropped an ear-catching nugget about a conversation he had with another exec about the Celtics' chances of landing elite Indiana Pacers swingman Paul George. Stein himself doesn't believe a trade will happen - and the odds are certainly in his favor on that one - but the exec he spoke to apparently does.
"I had an executive [Monday] night tell me Boston's going to get Paul George this week," said Stein. "I don't think Paul George is moving this week. ... I think Indiana is trying to make moves this week to strengthen their roster, to convince Paul George this is the place he should stay. But if you get on the phone and call people, you will find people who think [Jimmy] Butler and/or Paul George are in play."
Interestingly enough, multiple league sources are telling the Boston Herald's Steve Bulpett that the Celtics are "actively seeking a top-tier player" by the trade deadline, but would stand pat if they can't swing a major move for a player like George or Butler. The surprising part is that Ainge wouldn't settle for a lower-tier acquisition to help improve a weakness, particularly a rim protector like Andrew Bogut.
There's no doubt that the Celtics are trying to get a star like George in the fold, but the NBA exec's confidence that they'll actually close a deal is intriguing, to say the least. Adding George would give the Celtics a good chance at winning a playoff series for the first time under Brad Stevens (if we're being realistic), getting to the conference finals (if we're being optimistic), or giving the Cavaliers a run (if we're shooting for the moon).
Amid this tidal wave of rumors and speculation, this one anonymous exec's comments about the Celtics are surely welcome for a team in dire need of a franchise-altering stud on top of Isaiah Thomas. Ainge knows it; that's why he's trying to get George. Perhaps this one exec will be proven right within the next 30 hours; if not, well, then it's business as usual for the NBA trade deadline.
UPDATE: The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski, perhaps the only NBA writer who's more plugged in than Marc Stein, reported on Wednesday afternoon that the Pacers are "gauging the trade market" on Paul George. So there's that. Better than nothing.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
